sheilajoyce, i have some wonderfull car afghans, but not one cardigan since I am more into blankets and still trying to accomplish sweaters. If you are interested in the blankets, let me know. They are adorable and definately for the advanced crocheter...

I wanted to make a cover, too, several years ago. At that time I couldn't find a pattern I really liked, so I ended up buying the cover from BabyEmporio. This link shows the various types of covers. Here is a link to a Comparison Chart of features of various styles of shopping cart covers. It might help you decide which pattern to use. You'll note that some use the grocery cart's strap to hold the child (likely to be very dirty) and others have built in straps. Some cover all the cart's parts within reach of the child, others don't. Some covers are very easy to put on (essentially you just hold child with one arm and fling the cover on) and other's require a good bit of manipulation to get them in place. Ditto removing when you are ready to leave. If you decide you make your own cover, you could always add features you want that aren't part of the pattern. (I ended up getting the "Baby A La Cart" for my daughter. She loves it!)

I do think, FD, that he is still afraid of her wrath and what happens when she is angered. If he had said no to getting her a car---for whatever reason---she would have been mad and DH hates a confrontation. But see--that is an issue, too. He won't fight with HER but he has no prob. causing issues with ME. Why? Because he knows---at the end of the day---I will *shut up and put up.* These issues, one by one, aren't worth wrecking our marriage over, BUT when they all add up, it becomes a larger problem. That's what we really need to address in counseling. As far as him thinking he was doing me a favor--see, that bugs me too. I had ALREADY discussed the issue with him and said that I would be "on call" to get SS (if BM couldn't, due to lack of car) on Mondays and DH would need to take Tuesdays and every other Friday. I told him I 100% was NOT going to cover for her any more than that, and if HE wanted to be her "call-a-ride" HE could. But that I was not going to do it. He said FINE, I understand, don't blame you, I will not ask you to cover for her, etc. And then a week later tells me he got her the car to take the pressure off me so I would not have to be on call for picking up SS? BUT--I had already made my stance clear and thought he agreed---so it was like, at the back of his head, he was already *expecting* me to be on call for BM, DESPITE what he had said. Does that make sense? I often feel like he just tells me what I want to hear. It's really frustrating b/c I can never...well...trust him. As far as the "smokes"...ughh...she is just so...I don't know. Really, I look at her and the way she looks, talks, acts, lives, and think WHAT was my DH thinking??? She is so awful with boundaries, and DH plays right into it. Thank goodness he didn't get her any---he would not do that, he hates cigarettes, but I thought it was so ballsy/strange that she would even ask him! HA. DH told me when he dropped the van off at her house the other day, it was almost on empty (LOL) and BM turned to her DH and said "I need some gas money" and he started telling her all he had was $15 to last until next week, and she said "too bad, I need it for gas!" I'm sure that will be the next thing--the gas $$ problem--although she did make it all through last school year without a problem. But that was before they had ANOTHER baby. So we'll see. I feel sorry for HER hubby's parents and their frozen savings account.

Right on, gscience! There's a whole world of auto enthusiasts out there filled with good, helpful folks who are passionate about cars and want to share their knowledge and experiences with others. Autocross looks like an absolute blast as well. This sort of thing is probably in my DNA though, having been raised by a father who was never without a fast car (he raced for a time), and even as an octogenarian drives a collector's Porsche. It's a rewarding (albeit expensive) hobby and I think most people understand that (or at least understand when they DON'T understand and refrain from dissing something they're ignorant about). ;)